Abstract:
The patriarchal view of reality in first-century Mediterranean culture was based on a disparity between man and woman. It was a hierarchical system in which man was considered to be above woman, as God is
above human beings. In the world of Jesus a woman would be represented before God by the patriarch. This article illustrates how Jesus' words and deeds did not mirror the values of his culture as far as the
importance and role of the patriarchal family were concemed. Jesus' words and deeds were unconventional within a strict purity system. Jesus used family imagery when speaking about the kingdom of God, but
he meant a different type of family than the physical family according to cultural conventions. His non-patriarchal interaction with women was an example and a consequence of his culture critique.
